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New information in carjacking mystery

A reward is being offered in the case of a Des Moines man found unconscious in the middle of a street Tuesday night.

Des Moines police officers said 36-year-old Mike Wasike was robbed, carjacked and beaten unconscious. Thursday morning, he was still in a coma at a Des Moines hospital.

Detectives said Wasike was found by a driver just after 8 p.m. near the intersection of 50th Street and Twana Drive.

$3,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest with Polk County Crime Stoppers offering up to $1,500 and Des Moines police offering $1,500.

Callers to Crime Stoppers may remain anonymous. Call Crime Stoppers at 515-223-1400 or police at 515-283-4869.

Police said the victim's car is a gray 2005 Nissan Altima with Iowa license plate 429-XQY. It was found overnight at an apartment complex on Southwest 9th Street.

The victim's wife, Joan Namachemo, told KCCI she knew something was wrong when her husband was late for dinner.

"When the kids came to get me, they told me, 'There's a police here who needs to talk to you.' I said, 'You mean, a police? What for?' She said, 'I don’t know mommy, but they're talking about daddy,'" said Namachemo. "I was really devastated. I couldn’t get downstairs."

Wasike was taken to a hospital, where his wife said he's listed in critical condition, suffering from a broken skull.

"When I saw him for the first time, it was so heartbreaking to see him in that shape," said Namachemo. "I can't take it. Every single minute I walk into that hospital door, it's really hard to see him the way he is right now."

Police officers said Wasike is in a medically induced coma, but he's expected to recover from his injuries.

No arrests have been made, and investigators said they have little to go on.

"I hope that somebody out there, with all of this media going, will be able to identify the car or maybe somebody has seen something, something that's going to help solve the puzzle," said Namachemo.

No arrests have been made in the case, which remains under investigation.

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